Best game engines for 2D mobile games development

There are several game engines available that are well-suited for developing 2D mobile games. The choice of a game engine depends on your specific requirements, programming skills, and personal preferences. Here are some popular game engines for 2D mobile game development:

1. Unity:

   • Unity is a versatile game engine that supports both 2D and 3D game development.
   • It has a large community and a vast asset store, making it easy to find resources and plugins.
   • Supports both C# and JavaScript for scripting.

2. Godot Engine:

   • Godot is an open-source game engine that is user-friendly and lightweight.
   • Godot supports a variety of programming languages for making games, including the integrated language GDScript, C++ and C#. Additionally, the engine includes GDNative, a facility for creating bindings with other languages. Officially-supported GDNative languages include C and C++. GDScript is easy to learn for beginners.
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   • Supports multiple platforms, including mobile.

3. Cocos2d-x:

   • Cocos2d-x is a popular open-source framework for building 2D games.
   • It supports multiple platforms, including iOS and Android.
   • Programmed in C++, and it has bindings for other languages like JavaScript and Lua.

4. Solar2D ( ex Corona SDK ) :

   • Solar2D is known for its simplicity and ease of use.
   • It uses the Lua scripting language, which is easy for beginners to pick up.
   • Good for rapid development and prototyping.

5. LibGDX:

   • LibGDX is a Java-based game development framework.
   • It supports cross-platform development and is suitable for 2D games.
   • It allows developers to deploy games to Android, iOS, desktop, and more.

6. Phaser:

   • Phaser is a fast and lightweight JavaScript framework for building 2D games in the browser.
   • It is suitable for mobile games using web technologies (HTML5, JavaScript, and Canvas).

7. GameMaker Studio:

   • GameMaker Studio is a user-friendly platform that doesn't require extensive programming knowledge.
   • It has a drag-and-drop interface and supports its scripting language, GML (GameMaker Language).

When choosing a game engine, consider factors like your programming skills, the specific requirements of your game, the target platforms, and the community support. It's also a good idea to try out a few engines to see which one aligns best with your development workflow and preferences.

My personal favorite - Solar2D. Empty project size is just 116 KB ( Unity's 1.2GB ! ) so it can be run easily on cheap laptop. Also free version of ChatGPT generates nice Lua code because tech is old enough and Lua language is simple and easy to learn.

For example check out my logical 2D game on Google Play made with Solar2D game engine :

Einstein's Riddles Android Game in Google Play